Sac Fly: R.I.P. Coach Reid

One of my coaches from high school passed away this week: Robert Reid. He coached both football and basketball. Had a great smile. Teammate David Cape called him a gentle giant, and he was. Unlike some of the other coaches, Reid rarely showed his temper. One time though I was the object of his temper. A young father, Reid drove an old pickup truck that he parked outside the locker room. One day on the way out to the practice field I grabbed his son’s tiny football helmet, and wore it out on the field. Coach Reid was not happy. I returned the helmet to his truck.

Jessie Anthony remembered the day in class when Reid had left the room to run an errand, a “student” put a thumb tack in Reid’s chair. At first Reid just sat there before finally asking “Who done it?” No one said a word. Coach Reid took an old school chair and broke off one of the wood slats to make a paddle. “Jerry! (Anderson, the running back) – was it you?” It wasn’t, but the real culprit paid dearly. Roger added that It was quiet in class, but outside after the bell rang the class really cut loose.

The funeral is Saturday.

If I’m going to write a book about our state championship, I’d better get started. So many are passing away. Hodges Glover. Randy Rutherford. Stan Putnal. Johnny Dennis, Coach Brodie, Jeff Stewart, Ricky Kurtz, and others have already passed. In the book I will review each 1975 game, have a chapter on my 9th grade and B team, recap the 1974 season and perhaps touch on history before then, our trips to Atlanta to practice on the artificial turf, the time the coaches uncharacteristically let down their guard to dance in tutus at a school assembly, how the coaches bolted after the season for greener pastures, and the disappointing 1976 season. Also what happened to the each player after high school. Looking forward to it.